Mystique: Complete and Unabridged
by Evil Twin Theory
Summary: Ever wonder what Mystique's childhood was like? This is a strange story of Mystique's complete history. Very strange - very much an experiment. A new bundle of joy, namely Chapter 9, has now arrived.
1. Troubled Beginnings

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This story has a lot of disclaimers. First, I don't own X-Men Evolution (such a shame). Secondly, I took several liberties while writing this story so that while none of this has ever been exactly contradicted in the show, it hasn't really been hinted at either - such as Raven Darkholme not being Mystique's real name. A lot of this story is just my own original interpretation and a bit of an experiment. It's weird - I'm warning you right now. I hope that everyone enjoys it!

Dr. Allen Morris stood alone in his office, his eyes scanning the bookshelves for any book out of place, but he already knew that the shelves were impeccably arranged. He was just stalling, and he realized it, but he felt helpless to stop. Yesterday's events were etched deeply into his mind and no amount of stalling could ever erase the memories. "Perhaps I'm just overreacting," he mumbled to himself, but somehow he knew it was a lie.

Yesterday had began fairly normally. St. Anne's was a small hospital, but it saw it's fair share of excitement and Dr. Morris, who held the distinction of being one of the finest gynecologists in Michigan, thrived on those moments. He would tell his patients and colleagues that he preferred a small hospital because it allowed him to work more personally with the patients, and there was some truth to that. Yet, there was also the emotional high of working in a quiet, calm environment that could suddenly erupt into chaos that could be the envy of even a large hospital. It was a roller coaster ride, and he was just hanging on waiting for the next twist. 

But after what happened yesterday, he was beginning to think it was time for the ride to end.

He turned from the bookshelves and walked over to his desk, but his mind was still consumed with the previous day's events. He had just been leaving the hospital when he was called back to the emergency room. A young couple had just came in off the street's and the woman was about to give birth. As he rushed back to assist the soon-to-be mother, he could barely suppress a smile. Finally, something was happening around here.

However, when he had first seen the couple, he got his first inkling there may be a problem. The man was thin with blood shot eyes. He was wearing the sanitary gown, gloves, and mask but even those items seem to hang crookedly on his lanky frame. "Please, help her Doc," he had pleaded. His voice had a slight twang to it - a southern accent of some sort.

The woman was also thin, her gaunt face juxtaposed above her distorted abdomen. She had looked at Dr. Morris with something of admiration, love, and desperation. He had given her his best smile as he gently reassured her that everything was going to be all right.

The actual birth itself had went smoothly enough. Just when he was about to think that his worries might have been foolish, the baby herself made her first grand appearance. She had entered the world crying and yelling, exactly the way a healthy baby should, but for the first few minutes no one even noticed.

"Oh my God!" one of the nurses had exclaimed.

Normally, Dr. Morris would have immediately reprimanded the nurse for such unprofessional behavior but if he had been able to find his voice he probably would have said the same thing. The child was blue. This wasn't just a blue tint that many children have at birth, this child was a solid, deep blue. A shock of red hair atop her head set off her peculiar skin tone as she squirmed in the doctor's arms.

"Is she breathing?" another nurse asked.

"Of course she is," Dr. Morris finally managed, "Listen to that cry. Still, we need to get her checked out." Quickly, he had cut the umbilical cord as they prepared to take the still crying baby upstairs. The young mother was now begging for her infant, but he had tried to half-heartedly convince her that this was all just routine. Still, he had left the room as quickly as possible - his thirst for excitement quenched. Perhaps forever.

A knock on his office door brought his back to present day as he sat down behind the desk. "Come in," he said.

The door opened as the young couple entered the room. The man came in first while his wife was being pushed in a wheelchair by a nurse. She seemed somewhat embarrassed by the treatment, but it was standard hospital procedure. The doctor smiled warmly. "Sit down," he stated, and then winked at the woman, "unless you already are." She giggled slightly, but he could hear her nervousness. 

"So, uh Doc," the man began, "How's Rayellen doin'?"

"Rayellen?"

"Yeah, our daughter."

"Oh, sorry," Morris apologized, "It's been a long day. Rayellen is fine." He paused as he studied the couple. The were impoverished, their clothes ill-fitting and torn but clean. He doubted either were well-educated and that compounded with the accent only added to the prejudices the world would stack against them. He glanced at the paper before him and saw that their names were Robert and Elizabeth Maynard, but they had left the area for home address blank. "May I ask where you are from?" Morris ventured.

The couple exchanged a quick glance. "Kentucky," Robert finally answered.

Morris nodded slightly. That explained the accent at least. "Nice state," he responded.

"Doctor, I have ta ask ya," Elizabeth cut in, "What's wrong with my baby?" Tears were now forming in her eyes. 

"Well, first off let me assure you that she's going to be fine," Morris answered, "But I'm not sure what is the cause of her peculiar skin coloration." Standing up, he walked over to his window and looked outside. It had rained the night before and now the parking lot glittered like a gray sea. "It could possibly be methemoglobinemia."

"What's that?" Robert asked.

"Well," Morris began, turning towards them again, "I don't know a lot about it because with me being a gynecologist, it's not exactly within my area of expertise. In fact, I had to look it up last night. Methemoglobinemia is a very rare hereditary condition in which the blood doesn't carry enough oxygen. The oxygen deprived blood takes on a darker appearance and it causes the skin to have a bluish tint."

The Maynards were silent a moment while they let the information sink in. "But what does that mean exactly," he finally asked, "for Rayellen, I mean. Will it make her sick?"

"No," Morris replied, "In some instances, the blue coloration even fades as the child gets older." He took a deep breath as he prepared to ask the question he had really been wanting to ask. "You say that you are from Kentucky - have either of you heard of the Blue Fugates?"

"I know some Fugates," Elizabeth answered, cautiously.

"The Blue Fugates," Morris said, "We're a family that lived around Hazard back in the 1800's. It seemed like they carried the methemoglobinemia gene and because of frequent intermarriage within the family, the trait became more and more obvious. Several members of the family were described as being dark blue." He glanced at the young couple, hoping that they were as fascinated as he was about this information he had discovered last night.

Robert didn't look blue - he looked red. His face was practically glowing with anger as he stared at the doctor. "So that's it!" he exploded, "Ya think that just because I say we're from Kentucky we have to be related. We'll we're not! Elizabeth may be from Hazard, but I was born and raised in Pike County! I didn' just go out and marry my cousin or somthin'" He turned towards his wife. "Come on, Beth," he commanded, "Let's get out of here."

She got up from her wheelchair and cast an apologetic look at the doctor. Quietly she left the room, but Robert slammed the door behind him.

Morris sighed deeply. He hadn't meant to insult them, but he could understand their feelings. They were so many like them out there - running away from Kentucky to try to find the opportunities for a real life but slamming into prejudices and stereotypes along the way. Then, there was also that little girl. She would have all those same stereotypes shoved at her, but there was also the fact she had blue skin.

He had lied to them: he didn't really think it was methemoglobinemia. He couldn't explain why exactly - the girl did have all the symptoms and the fact the mother was from the same area seemed to reinforce the diagnosis. Still, he just didn't believe. For whatever reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that Rayellen had many challenges ahead of her.

He had never been a religious man, but now he turned his face heavenward and stared up at the ceiling. "Please, watch over that little girl," he whispered.

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I know. That was different, but I hoped it was different in a good way. I never intended to focus on the doctor so much, but it seemed to fit. The next chapter focuses on Mystique's parents and then on to Mystique herself in later chapters. I'm not sure how long this will be because this is sort of an experiment, but I'm hoping that it will be a big project.

Strangely, I had decided to have her parents from Kentucky before I learned of the 'Blue Fugates' because that's where I'm from and I figured I can portray them better that way. However, when I went online to look for the condition that created a blue tint of the skin, I stumbled onto a page that talked about the Fugates. When I learned of one child that was born with dark blue skin and red hair, my chin just dropped. It was too perfect. Here's something even weirder. There was a lot of intermarriage that kept this trait resurfacing, but they did marry other families. The child that had the red hair and blue skin was a Stacy (my last name) and was a distant relative of mine. Too weird!

I appreciate reviews and constructive criticism. Please, no flames. 


	2. Breakdown

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Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I was really worried that no one would like this story because I realize that it's a little different. Just a little note: I plan to carry this story all the way from Mystique's birth (1st chapter) to the birth of Kurt. Of course, things often change in the course of writing so I can't make any promises. Oh, and in response to other reviews on this and other stories, I am COMPLTELY ignorant to the comics. With all that said, on with the story!

The apartment was small and the mix-matched furniture was stained and worn. The carpet was threadbare in places, but Elizabeth still made sure that it was as clean and neat as possible. Besides, her mother had kept her house in almost perfect order despite the fact she had six children. Elizabeth hummed softly as she folded clothes, glancing back every few minutes as her daughter.

Rayellen was happily playing in the small playpen that they had found at the Salvation Army. She saw her mother watching her and smiled brightly. Cooing softly, she reached one chubby, blue hand towards her mother.

Elizabeth returned the smile. "I'll pick you up in a minute, sweetie," she said. She couldn't help but feel a certain amount of pride. It only had only been 3 months ago that her daughter was born in the small Michigan hospital and already it appeared she was on the verge of speaking. At least, that's the way it sounded to her. The few times that Robert had actually listened to Rayellen he said that she was just making noises the way all babies do.

Elizabeth no longer really noticed that her child was blue. She had already realized that the coloration was probably not going to fade the way the doctor said it might, but it didn't matter. Her child was beautiful - it was her baby girl. And, she seemed so very intelligent, just like her father. Elizabeth wasn't smart and she had come to accept that. She had struggled through school and had finally quit after 8th grade. Her parents hadn't been overly concerned with her obtaining a public education anyway. A year or two ago, someone had said that they thought she had something called dyslexia, which was why she had trouble reading and her numbers were always jumbled, but she wasn't sure about that.

Robert had graduated, although he had not been one of the top students. He had admitted he had never really cared for school that much, but he had stuck with it until he had gotten his diploma. Still, Elizabeth was proud of this accomplishment and she saw signs of this same intelligence in Rayellen. She could also see her husband in the shape of the child's face and even the sound of her laugh, but Robert claimed that she was only imagining these things. In fact, he seemed angry whenever she even mentioned their daughter.

He was growing more moody with each passing day. It seemed that he completely ignored Rayellen and grew angry if for some reason he could not. The other night, she had cried out because she had needed her diaper changed. Elizabeth worked correcting the problem as fast as she could when suddenly Robert had yelled to 'shut that thing up.' She couldn't believe her ears: he had actually had referred to their daughter as a thing. After changing the diaper and putting Rayellen back in her crib, Elizabeth had planned to confront Robert about his statement, but he had already fallen asleep. The long hours he put in at Hyco, the hydraulics factory where he worked, had no doubt exhausted him. Holding back her tears, she had quietly climbed into bed and had silently told herself she would confront him tomorrow.

But she hadn't.

She finished with the clothes and walked over to pick up Rayellen as frustrated tears welled up in her eyes. She had already stood by Robert through so much, just as she had been taught a good wife should. After Rayellen's birth in Michigan, they had went through some tough times. Elizabeth wanted them to return to Kentucky where their families could help, but Robert was too proud to do that. They did move closer, to Ashland, Ohio in fact, and Robert had gotten the job with Hyco. However, they were growing further and further apart with each passing day. He was coming home late each night and was barely speaking to her. He basically ignored Rayellen unless it was to complain.

The tears dripped down her cheeks and that seemed to fascinate Rayellen. With her chubby, clumsy fingers she reached up and touched one of the tears. She looked deeply at her mother's face as if to ask, "Are you okay?" and Elizabeth put on a brave smile for her daughter.

"I'm fine," she whispered.

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The smoke hung in the air like a thick fog, magnifying some sounds while choking out others. In the back, four men were huddled around a pool table and were arguing over the last shot. As their voice roses, several other patrons watched carefully waiting for a fight to begin - their bloodshot eyes anxiously awaiting something to happen. Yet they were to be disappointed as two of the guys only yelled a couple of random obscenities and they left the bar. The room stunk of sweat, beer, and even vaguely of vomit, but Robert didn't notice any of these things.

He was sitting at a small table, slowly sipping a beer. It was his fourth of the evening and while his intentions had not been necessarily to become drunk, his limited experience with drinking along with his low tolerance for alcohol was bringing him ever closer to intoxication. The truth was he was just dreading going home. Rubbing his hand across his chin he couldn't help but wonder why his life had always been unfair.

No one would have described him as being lazy, yet it seemed as if he always finished in last place. Here he was, only nineteen with a wife to support. All day, he worked until he could barely move only to come to that tiny apartment that sucked up all the money he made and Elizabeth seemed unhappy. He brought the bottle back up to his lips for another drink just as another thought crossed his mind.

There was also the girl.

He slammed the bottle down on the table, but no one around even seemed to notice. Why was she blue? There was no reason, no real explanation. No one in his family was blue and Elizabeth couldn't think of anyone in her family that was blue either. Elizabeth acted as if that thing was actually their baby - but he knew that it wasn't true. It couldn't be true.

Glancing up, he happened to notice that a woman at the bar was watching him. Her hair was blonde (although he truly doubted that it was natural) and frizzed about her head. The makeup she wore was dark and thick and her tight shirt seemed almost fused to her skin. She smiled at him slightly and he was shocked by the amount of knowledge that was revealed in that cold smile.

Standing up, she made her way over to him, her swaying exaggerated and hypnotic. Her skirt was as tight as her shirt and cut short. Before he realized what he was doing, his eyes traveled up and down her legs as she walked.

"Hi there," she said, when she had arrived as his table. "Mind if I sit down?" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled out a chair and scooted it over close to him before sitting.

She wasn't as attractive up close. Her thick makeup couldn't hide the wrinkles or the blotches and he realized that she was much older than him. Her breath stank of alcohol and her teeth were beginning to rot slightly. Still, as she slid even closer to him, he didn't move away at first.

"I haven't seen you in here before," she stated.

"I just moved here two weeks ago," he replied.

"Really," she cooed, "Then allow me to personally welcome you." She placed her right hand on his knee and slowly slid it up his thigh.

He jumped to his feet so fast that he knocked his chair over backwards. "I have to be going," he said quickly, "Uh, it was, uh, nice meeting you." He ran from the bar, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the laughter that began to erupt from the behind him.

Walking down the street, he tried to figure out what was going on. He loved Elizabeth and while she was not what most would find beautiful, he like her simple, pure appearance. So why had he even looked twice at that woman back in the bar?

The answer came quickly - it was Rayellen. It was always her. Rage boiled inside him and his hands balled into tight fists. It was time to end this.

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It was almost midnight when Elizabeth finally heard Robert at the door. She swung it open just as he was fumbling to unlock it. He looked a little embarrassed as he stood there, the key still his hand but she could also tell that he was quite drunk. "Where have you been?" she demanded, "I've been worried about you." Her words were sharper than she had intended, but she had been really concerned.

He frowned as he stumbled into the apartment. "Don't nag," he said in a slow, slurred voice.

"Don't nag!" she repeated, "Don't nag? Is that all you can say to me when you don't come home until midnight and then when you do come home you're almost too drunk to even stand? I was scared to death and all you can say is don't nag."

"Stop it," he growled.

"Don't you under-" she began, but her words cut off sharply when he struck her across the face. "You hit me," she said in an amazed tone as she rubbed her mouth where her lip was already beginning to swell.

"YOU MADE ME DO IT!" he screamed.

Rayellen awoke and began to cry at the sound of her father's shouting. "Look what you did," Elizabeth said, "You woke Rayellen." She started towards the crib, but Robert grabbed her arm.

"This is all her fault," he said in a low, deadly whisper.

"No," Elizabeth replied, "It's your fault." 

Quickly, she went to comfort her crying baby. After a few minutes, Rayellen stopped crying and Elizabeth placed her back in the crib. As she turned around, she was surprised to see Robert there, watching her. Before she could ask him anything, she noticed the .22 in his hand. She had grown up around guns and had never been afraid before, but something in Robert's eyes scared her in combination with the .22.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm going to put a stop to all this," he replied, "so we can be happy again." He raised the gun and pointed towards the crib.

"NO!" Elizabeth screamed. With a speed she didn't know she possessed, she raced across the room and grabbed his arm, trying to knock the gun away.

The sound of the gunshot tore through the apartment building like the deadliest of thunderclaps.

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One note, I made the year somewhat ambiguous because I wasn't exactly sure how old I wanted to make Mystique but this is supposed to be taking place some time ago. That's why Robert, who is only 19, can go into a bar and get drunk. 


	3. Going Home

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Sorry I took so long posting Chapter 3. I hope it was worth the wait. Oh, the reason I had to repost Chapter 2 is because I accidentally had written that Rayellen is the one who jumps up and yells "No!" when I meant for that to be Elizabeth. Not sure why I did that, and I'm sorry if it was confusing. Oh well, on with the story!

The trees that lined the hillsides were barren; their limbs stretching upward like twisted, naked arms. The leaves had long since fallen and their remnants were scattered across the brown floor of the hills as a chilling wind whipped through, pushing fall aside to make way for winter. Everything was the same as it usually was this time of year – as if nothing had ever changed.

Elizabeth was standing in the yard of her childhood home as she studied the scene around her. Despite the barren appearance, there was a stark beauty to the hills and a certain connection she felt with her surroundings. She had come home, but why didn't she feel any happier?

Perhaps it was because all that had happened recently. When Robert had pointed the gun at Rayellen, she had panicked and tried to pull it out of his hand. It had gone off with a thunderous boom and Robert had cried out in sync. Looking down, she had seen the blood began to leak from his brown, worn boot as the truth slammed home – Robert had shot himself in the foot. She hadn't been sure what to do – his injury probably wasn't life threatening but she had to do something to help him and Rayellen had begun to scream.

Finally, she had been able to focus and she had jerked the boot from her bleeding husband's foot and roughly wrapped a nearby towel around it. Applying pressure, she had managed to stop the bleeding, but as she looked up into Robert's eyes she knew that their life together was over. Even before he had told her to leave, she had already known.

So, now she was standing here in the front yard just staring at her parent's tiny home as her mind drifted. She had come home, but still she knew it wouldn't be the same. Nothing ever is. Gathering up her courage, she walked up to the front door and knocked softly.

At first, she didn't hear anyone coming to answer the door so she raised her hand to knock once more. That's when she heard the soft, shuffling of footsteps from inside and slowly the door opened so that she found herself looking into the tired, wrinkled face of her father.

Martin Taylor had never been a big man and it seemed as if time had shrunk him. Elizabeth, who was 5'3", was only about ½ inch shorter. His hair was still black as were his eyes – gifts from his grandmother who had been Cherokee, but his face was crisscrossed with wrinkles that aged him even beyond his years. "Lizbeth," he said, sounding slightly surprised, "What are ya…" he began, but then seemed to change his mind. "It's good to see ya. Come in." He turned and started walking back towards the front room as Elizabeth followed. "Look whose come ta visit, Rosie," he said.

His wife, Rosalee, stepped into the room and seemed as surprised at Martin to see Elizabeth. Like her husband, she was a small individual – not quite 5' in her shoes, but while Martin had a slender build, she was a little overweight. "It's been too long," she said, "Are ya okay?"

Elizabeth nodded slightly and tried to smile. Just then, Rayellen awoke from her nap and squirmed in her mother's arms. Elizabeth had covered the baby in a blanket to protect her from the cold, so her parents had yet to see her. Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth pulled the blanket away revealing Rayellen's tired, blue face.

For a moment, no one said anything as Rayellen yawned slightly and looked at the grandparents she had never seen before. She smiled at them and, to Elizabeth at least, her smile was nothing short of radiant. 

Finally, Rosalee broke the silence. "There's food on the stove if ya hungry," she said.

Tears came to Elizabeth's eyes because she knew that this was her mother's way of saying she was welcome to stay. "Thanks," she whispered.

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Rosalee and Martin Taylor were fairly well-known in the community. However, it was a small community, so no one was exactly a stranger. Still, the Taylors were liked by many of their neighbors and, in fact, most everyone called them Mamaw and Papaw Taylor. Everyone knew that if you needed help, Mamaw or Papaw would do all they could for you.

Yet, when Elizabeth suddenly returned home that day with Rayellen, the Taylors suddenly became the middle of one of the biggest scandals of the decade. Robert had also returned home and he had quite a story to tell to anyone that would listen. The story had slipped through the state on quite nimble feet, growing steadily larger by it time it reached the friends and neighbors of the Taylors. According to the rumors, Elizabeth had given birth to a strange child and then, a few months later, had shot her husband. Everyone knew the part about the strange child was correct - they had seen the oddly blue Rayellen or knew someone who had, so it was assumed the rest was correct as well. 

The rumors grew wilder as odd occurrences began to blamed on the 'blue youngin,' as Rayellen had come to be known. In an area that was both deeply religious and superstitious, the supposed causes became darker forces as some were now convinced that Elizabeth had committed some great sin that was being reflected through Rayellen. It was whispered that Elizabeth had 'laid with the devil' or the child was a product of witchcraft.

Elizabeth knew of the rumors, but still fought to hold her head high. She could have told them the truth about what had happened the night that Robert was shot, but she knew that it wouldn't do any good. People believe what they want to believe.

However, she didn't realize how bad it was until one Sunday when she decided to take Rayellen with her to church. It was normal practice for young mothers to take their children, but so far very little about their lives had been normal. Still, Elizabeth had always believed that church was the place you needed to be when things were going bad and she enjoyed going - at least she always had before.

The moment she stepped through the door, every eye turned towards her and soft conversations ceased completely. Elizabeth held her breath as she stepped inside, carrying Rayellen in her arms. She kept her eyes focused on the altar and away from the curious stares as she made her way to where he mother was already sitting. Slowly, the conversations around them began once more, but Elizabeth heard her name being whispered around her. As some members began to make their way about the room to shake hands, they seemed to avoid Elizabeth or, if they did shake her hand, their eyes were focused on Rayellen. Never before had Elizabeth felt so horribly out of place at church, but she hoped the feeling would fade once the preaching started.

After singing a few songs, the first preacher began to speak. He was just really getting into the spirit and Elizabeth, for the first time in far too long, could feel relief and happiness surge through her body, when Rayellen suddenly cried out. Softly at first, but slowly her cry became louder. It wasn't unusual, especially for a child that wasn't accustomed to church. Had it been any other child, most would have looked at the mother sympathetically, but this was the 'blue youngin.' People turned around but their looks were anything but sympathetic. They appeared angry and even a bit scared.

Yet, strangely some almost seemed pleased by the outburst.

Barely suppressing her own tears, Elizabeth jumped to her feet and started to run from the church. Just as she reached the door, one voice, which was just loud enough to carry through the church, reached her ears.

"Why, she can't even stand to hear the Lord's word," a woman's voice hissed.

Elizabeth turned, prepared to confront the speaker but only found herself staring into a sea of hostile faces. Her mother was still sitting there, her eyes glistening with silent tears but it seemed that even she couldn't make eye contact with her daughter.

Realizing that there was no use in a confrontation here, Elizabeth pivoted back towards the door and made her way into the diluted sunshine.

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Elizabeth was sitting on the front porch crying when her mother arrived home. "I'm sorry," Rosalee apologized.

"Why didn't ya say somethin'?" Elizabeth demanded, "What didn't ya defend me?"

Rosalee sighed as she sat down beside her. "I guess I should have," she admitted, "I know things hadn't been easy for ya: the way folks look at Rayellen and talk about ya since uh, that thing with Robert."

"Ya think I shot him!" Elizabeth exclaimed, "I can't believe that my own mother thinks I could do such a thing! Ya wanna know what really happened?" She launched into the story of what had happened that fateful night and her mother's face reflected a myriad of emotions as she listened.

"Why didn't ya tell me?" Rosalee asked.

"I didn't think I would have to," Elizabeth responded, "I knew that there was no use in tellin' everyone else because they wouldn't believe me anyway, but I thought ya would have figured out that all these tales were just lies."

"I guess I should've," her mother said, wrapping her arm about Elizabeth's shoulders. "Still, I wish I knew what had gotten into Robert. Why would he try to shoot the youngin'?" 

"I think," Elizabeth began slowly, "it's because she's blue."

"Well that's a stupid reason. I oughta take my gun down there and shoot him in the other foot for just thinkin' about it."

Elizabeth laughed slightly as she stood up and turned to go back into the house. She paused when her mother spoke up suddenly. "Ya know things aren't going to be easy for Rayellen."

"Yeah, I know," Elizabeth replied, softly, "but I'm goin' to protect her. I'm not going to let people hurt her."

"Ya can't protect her forever," Rosalee said.

Elizabeth turned and there was an almost feverish light burning in her eyes. "But I'm goin' to help her," she stated, "I'm goin' to make sure that she escapes all of this."

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And so ends Chapter 3. I hope you enjoyed it. Strangely, I planned to have the first section from Rayellen's point of view, but I got caught up in the reaction of the community so I never got to that scene. It will be in the next chapter, though. Thanks for reading!


	4. The 1st Day is Always the Hardest

Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it.

"You want her to start school this fall?" Mr. Lyons asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

"That's what I said," Elizabeth responded.

Mr. Lyons, the principal of Grassy Elementary, stood up from behind his desk as he studied Elizabeth carefully. It was obvious that she was very determined and he seemed confused by this.

Elizabeth understood his confusion. Public education was not something that was stressed - especially not for girls. It was more important for girls to learn to take care of a home so that they would make good wifes and mothers, while it was up to their husbands to earn a living. However, this did not seem to be the kind of future that would be presented to Rayellen. Elizabeth saw her daughter as beautiful, but knew most could not see past her blue skin. It was doubtful that Rayellen would someday be able to find a husband, so Elizabeth had to make sure that she could take care of herself. Besides, Rayellen was intelligent and she could use that intelligence to escape this area and all of its beliefs. She had chosen Grassy Elementary because it was one of the few local schools that had expanded beyond the 'one-room schoolhouse.' Plus, Elizabeth had gotten a job there in the lunchroom, so she would be nearby to protect her daughter.

"Look, Mrs. Maynard," Mr. Lyons began, "I'm not saying you shouldn't enroll Rayellen here. I'm glad that you've taken such an interest in your daughter's education - I wish more people would, but you must understand that school will be very difficult for her."

"First off, it's just plain Elizabeth," she replied. It was another part of her shame - NO ONE around here got divorced. It just didn't happen, but she didn't know what else to do when Robert given her the papers to sign. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "And what do ya mean about school bein' difficult? She's not dumb, like me. Rayellen is smart."

"I have no doubt she is," Mr. Lyons said, "but the simple truth is that kids are cruel. The other students will make it hard for your daughter." He laid his palms upon his desk and leaned forward. "Take her home," he said, "If you are truly concerned about her education, you can home-school her."

"I can't," she stated, "I can barely read. I was able to teach Rayellen, but already she can read better then I can. That's why she has to go to school."

"I'm not going to turn her away," Mr. Lyons conceded, "I wouldn't want to do that to her, but I did want you to understand the difficulties." He smiled slightly, "I hope you daughter enjoys our school." It was his usual speech, but his voice was without its usual confidence.

"Thank ya," Elizabeth said, standing up, "I'm sure she will."

The concept of first grade simultaneously excited and scared Rayellen. As long as she could remember she had lived with her Mom and her Mamaw and Papaw in their small home. Except for some family that would visit, she had never really been around anyone else. It might be fun to around some other kids and she enjoyed learning. Still, she was unsure what to expect as she walked into her classroom.

The room was already a bustle of activity as kids made their way around the room to pick out their desks. They were laughing and talking with one another, until they noticed her. Rayellen stood there for a minute, uncomfortable by their silence until they began talking again. They were now whispering and giggling, and Rayellen couldn't help but feel that she was somehow the cause. She didn't understand why. The only other person she knew that acted funny like this was her cousin Billy. He always teased her and told her she was strange looking. However, when she had told her mother, Elizabeth had said that Billy was the strange one.

She slowly made her way into the room, the curious eyes following her. She chose a small desk in the back, but just as she was sitting down, a couple of kids surrounded the seat.

"These seats are fer the second grade," a boy stated.

"And I don't think yer in second grade yet," a girl added, "I didn't see ya in first grade last year."

"And we would have remembered ya," the boy said, his eyes glittering.

There was something about the way they spoke that brought tears to Rayellen's eyes, but she just didn't understand what was happening. She moved over to seat on the other side of the room and sat down, trying hard not to cry.

"Hi there," someone said.

Rayellen looked up and saw a small girl sitting at the desk in front of her. She was smiling brightly at Rayellen as she pushed her long, brown hair away from her freckled cheeks. She was a bit too skinny and no one would have described her as being a beautiful, little girl - but there was something contagious about her smile.

"Hi," Rayellen responded, shyly.

"I like yer hair," the girl said, "it's purty. What's yer name?"

"Rayellen."

"That's a lot better then my name. I'm Sue Pack, but everyone just calls me Last-Un."

Before Rayellen could ask anything about her new acquaintance's unusual nickname, the teacher stepped forward. She had been quietly sitting behind her large wooden desk at the front of the class up until this point.

"Settle down," she commanded, and immediately students ran to take their seats as all talking ceased. She smiled, slightly at the performance, but there seemed to be no warmth within the smile. Although her appearance was quite severe, it appeared that she had been an attractive woman in her youth. Her steely hair, which was pulled back tautly into a bun, was naturally curly, as was proven by a few strands which had pulled loose, and her green eyes were sharp. Yet, her loose-fitting gray dress seemed to indicate that she didn't really care that much for appearance.

"My name," the teacher began, "is Miss Louisa. To the first graders, I want to welcome you to your first day of school. This is an exciting time for you and, if you behave, you will have the opportunity to learn much. As for the second graders, welcome back and I hope that, for some of you, this years will be as fruitful as your first, and others will find the room for improvement.

Miss Louisa stepped back to her desk where there were quite a large assortment of books. "In a moment I will be handing out your class books. Most of you have already paid for these books but for those of you have chosen to borrow," her sharp eyes pinpointed Sue Pack briefly as she spoke, "please note that these books are not to leave the classroom. You are merely borrowing these books, so removing one from school grounds will be considered theft the offending party will be dealt with accordingly. Also, these books must be returned in the same condition or there will be fines. Now, when you call your name, step forward to receive your books and a quick cleanliness check."

She produced a large chart from behind her desk that consisted of names and dates with the words "Clean Screen" at the top. "As the second graders know," she began, "each day I will check you to see that you are clean. Poor hygiene is a disease in this area, but I intent to combat it. Each day that you are clean, you will be receive a sticker by you name. If you want to receive a sticker, you must make sure you are free of dirt both of clothing and of body. It is as simple of that. First let's have Richard Adkins step up here."

As Rayellen watched a tan, lanky boy walk up front, she was a little confused. She had never dreamed that the teacher would check to see if they were clean, but perhaps that's why Mamaw had scrubbed her skin so rough this morning. While she was confused, Rayellen was also a little excited. Her dress was new, at least new for her, and after the scrubbing she got this morning, she knew that she was clean. She had never had a sticker before so now she was eager to receive her first.

When Miss Louisa called her name, Rayellen had to resist the urge to run to the front of the classroom. However, her smile began to fade when she noticed the harsh way that the teacher was looking at her, as Miss Louisa roughly pushed her red hair aside to look at her neck.

"How could anyone tell if you are ever clean or dirty?" Miss Louisa demanded, as she handed. "Go on and sit back down. There will be no star for you because there's no way for me to know."

"But," Rayellen began.

"First off, young lady," Miss Louisa interrupted, "We do not begin our sentences with 'but.' It's rude. Secondly, there is to be no talking back. When I tell you to do something, you are to do without hesitation or question. It would be a shame if I had to paddle you on the first day of school. Do you understand."

Meekly, Rayellen nodded as she tried to fight back the tears. However, Miss Louisa wasn't satisfied.

"Answer me aloud," the teacher commanded.

"Yes, Miss Louisa," Rayellen said, as she turned to walk back to her seat.

"Blue-ellen," someone called after her. Miss Louisa ordered the class to be quiet but never spoke directly to the offender. Rayellen paid little attention as she said down, tears stinging her eyes. She tried to look at her book to distract herself, but as she flipped through the pages she realized that something was wrong. In the pictures the children were smiling and laughing, but all the people in those illustrations had peach colored skin and rosy cheeks. None of them looked like her. Not one.

* * *

Last-Un Pack was of those fortunate individuals of being the youngest member of a rather large family and had the ability to learn from the mistakes of her older siblings. In some ways this hope her to mature a little faster than the average child but it also helped to prepare her in a way. She knew that there were things in the world that just weren't fair, but she accepted that and didn't allow it to bother her. She had even accepted her strange nickname with a certain grace that had made it her own.

Supposedly, her mother had been in labor for quite some time before Last-Un was born. When she was finally born, Sue's mother had sat up, looked at the midwife determinedly, and announced, "That's the Last One!" Some people even claimed that you could hear her several miles down the road. While that was obviously and exaggeration, Sue quickly became known as Last-Un throughout the area. She honestly didn't care but was rather proud for she didn't know too many people with a nickname that was so widely used.

However, other things were on her mind as she walked through the playground looking for Rayellen. She found her sitting to the far side of the yard, crying quietly while the other children enjoyed their recess. "Hey there!" she called.

Rayellen looked up and seemed somewhat relieved to see Last-Un standing there. "Hi," she said, quietly.

"Why aren't ya playing?"

Rayellen shrugged slightly. "The other kids won't let me," she admitted, "They just keep making fun of me."

"I won't make fun of ya," Last-Un stated.

"Why do they do that?" Rayellen continued, "Why do they make fun of the way I look? Is it because I'm blue?"

"I don't know," Last-Un answered, "But I think yer pretty." She sat down next her. "Want to be friends?"

"Yeah," Rayellen responded, but then tears came to her eyes again. "But I really wanted a sticker!"

Last-Un smiled and put her hand on her new friend's shoulder. "Ya'll get one someday," she said with confidence.

Rayellen returned the smile. For the first time, her day began looking a little brighter. She finally had her first, real friend but still her mind was occupied with something else.

When she got home, she had some serious questions for her mom.

Yes, I'm finally back to finish all my stories. The part about the checking the kids for cleanliness actually use did occur. I know that it seems odd, but it has happened before. Anyway, the next chapter will hopefully be up soon.


	5. Many Questions But No Answers

The rest of the day dragged by, but Rayellen was happy that at least she had made a friend. The other kids had invented a new nickname for her - blueberry, yet the teacher seem to completely ignore their behavior. Rayellen wanted to stand up and to yell for them to be quiet. However, she suspected that Miss Louisa would not ignore that particular outburst and would probably punish her, so Rayellen kept quiet. She tried to focus on the lesson and, despite the actions of her classmates, she still enjoyed learning. Besides, Last-Un would turn occasionally and flash that brilliant smile of hers and that made the day a bit more bearable.

When the day finally ended, Rayellen hurried home to talk to her mother. She had so much she needed to tell her - and to ask her. There were things that she needed to know and she was determined to finally get some answers. She ran into the house, but she didn't see her mother at first. She wasn't in the small bedroom they shared or in the living room. Finally, she walked into the kitchen where Mamaw was preparing biscuits for supper. "Where's Mommy?" Rayellen asked.

Mamaw smiled, but even at Rayellen's young age, she could tell that Mamaw was distracted by something. "She's not here right now," the older woman answered, "She'll be home later though."

Rayellen thought about asking more questions, but decided not to push the issue. She pulled out a heavy wooden chair and sat down at the table to watch Mamaw cook, which she always liked to do. However, her mind was distracted by the day's events and tears kept welling up in her eyes. She sighed heavily.

"How was school?" Mamaw asked.

The question broke the floodgate and, through her tears, Rayellen recounted the day's events. Although there was a bit of good news, namely that she had made a new friend, she found focusing on the teasing and the actions of her teacher.

As she spoke, Mamaw wiped the flour from her hands with a towel so that she could wipe the tears from her granddaughter's face. "I'm sorry, baby," she said softly, "People can be real mean at times."

"But why?" Rayellen demanded.

"I don't know," Mamaw replied, "but don't let it get to ya. Just remember that ya are loved and don't let what people say hurt ya."

"I think it's because I'm blue," Rayellen stated, matter-of-factly, "Why I don't look like Mommy or you or Papaw?"

The questions seemed to surprise Mamaw and for a moment she merely stood there without answering. Rayellen couldn't help but wonder if she had done something wrong. _There is something wrong with me _she decided _and_ _it's so bad that Mamaw doesn't even want to say it._

Finally, her grandmother seemed to have found her voice and she laughed slightly. "The good Lord just made ya special," she answered, "He makes us all special, but He just wanted to make sure that everyone knows just how special ya are."

Rayellen considered that for a moment. "Then I don't think I like Him all that much. I don't want to be special. I just want to be like everyone else."

Mamaw seemed horrified at this declaration. "Don't ever say that!" she exclaimed.

"Why?" Rayellen asked innocently.

"Ya just shouldn't," Mamaw replied, "He's done a lot for me and, if ya believe and are faithful, He'll do a lot for ya to." Then she softened slightly. "Ya'll see. Ya'll be thankful someday. As for now, want to help me to make biscuits?"

Rayellen couldn't help but smile. She loved watching Mamaw cook, so helping her was quite a treat. Yet, as she used her small hands to form the biscuits, she was still confused. Maybe Mommy would have more answers later.

* * *

Although it was late when her mother arrived home, Rayellen was still awake. She had been laying in the small bed she shared with her mother, but her mind was too consumed with questions to be tired. Quietly, she crawled from the bed and crept to the door. However, when she had opened the door a bit she saw her mommy talking to Mamaw. She closed the door so that was only slightly open, hoping that they wouldn't notice as she listened to them.

"I don't know what I'm goin' to do," Elizabeth complained.

"Most men aren't gonna want a woman who's already been married," Mamaw confirmed, "I warned ya not to marry Robert."

"Oh, Ma" Elizabeth moaned, "there's no use to go on about it. I married him and I can't change that now."

"But ya are going to have to face facts, Lizbeth," Mamaw insisted, "Men don't want to marry a woman who's already known a man and they don't want to raise some other's man's child."

Elizabeth's turned away suddenly, which seemed to surprise her mother. "Ya are tellin' them about Rayella, aren't ya?" Mamaw asked.

"How can I?" Elizabeth demanded, "It's hard enough to admit I was married before, but to tell them I'm the ma of the 'blue youngin'?"

"Lizbeth!"

"Well, it's true. Lord knows, I love Rayellen and I think she's beautiful. But other people…"

"Look," Mamaw began, "Ya need a husband, plain and simple. It ain't proper for a woman to try to raise a child on her own. It won't be easy, but ya have to try, for Rayellen's sake."

"I know," Elizabeth consented.

"Speakin' of Rayellen," Mamaw added, "she had quite a rough day at school and she came home with some rather tough questions."

Rayellen turned away from the door. She had gotten out of bed to hear the very discussion that was beginning, but she no longer wanted to listen. She was afraid of what she would learn.

As she climbed back in bed, hot tears burned down her cheeks. Her own mother was embarrassed of her? How could she ever expect the kids in school to accept her if her own mother did not. Mamaw's talk of being special no longer rang true in her ears. She began to wonder if you could believe anything that anyone said. Finally, her tears tapered off, but the pain did not waver.

Her mother came to bed sometime later. She whispered goodnight to her daughter as she crawled under the cover. She had no idea that her daughter was still awake.

Or that a small piece of Rayellen's heart had hardened.

I never realized what a huge project this was going to be, but I just finished chapter 5 and Rayellen's only in first grade. Still, I like the way this is going. What's strange, I never originally planned to have the scene with Elizabeth and her mother talking until I began writing this chapter. I had planned to have Elizabeth gone and looking for a new husband when Rayellen gets home, but I didn't know how to introduce it. I hope this turned out okay. I guess it seems strange in a way since both Elizabeth and her mother are struggling against stereotypes, yet they seem to have their fair share (i.e. Elizabeth must get remarried, etc.)


	6. What is Given Is Taken Away

Rayellen never told anyone what she overheard between her mother and grandmother that night. Instead, she hid it away in her heart. It was a secret pain, but also a secret strength. Each day, she put all her effort into her schoolwork, determined she could that she could show her mom that there was no reason to be embarrassed of her. The other students did not make this easy, nor did Miss Louisa do anything to help. In fact, her teacher seemed to look for any minor reason to mark down her grade, but she didn't complain much. Instead, she tried to make every paper and test as perfect as possible so that Miss Louisa would have no choice but to give her the A she deserved.

The one person she did not feel that she had to appear perfect around was Last-Un. Her friend seemed to be the same person as the first day they met. When she had complaints about school, it was Last-Un she talked to instead of her mom or Mamaw. In fact, she almost told Last-Un about the late night conversation she had overheard but decided against when she visited her friend's home. The Packs were one of the largest families around, but she had never seen a group of people so close and caring. They treated her nicely as well, although she couldn't help but notice Last-Un's oldest brother, Joseph, had stared at her momentarily with his mouth hanging over before he managed to say, "Hello." Still, it was nice to be in a home that seemed so warm and friendly. She visited as often as she could.

However, she didn't go over the Pack's so often just because it was friendly. The truth was, her mother was rarely home until late, and then she was too tired to talk or to listen to Rayellen. She was actively seeking a new husband, a fact that Mamaw no longer attempted to hide, and so far it seemed that her search had not be very successful. Rayellen didn't know much about fathers, but she didn't really care about gaining another parent, especially if it mean losing her mother in the process. Yet, she knew better than to express these feelings aloud. She just hoped her mother found someone soon - or even gave up so that they could be together again.

First grade passed by quickly and second grade began much the same. Miss Louisa was her second grade teacher as well and she still chose to ignore the way the other students treated Rayellen. Most of the new first graders soon joined in the teasing of their unusual classmate, although a few saw how well she did in the class and would ask her for help on their assignments. Rayellen didn't actually expect any improvement and took each sign of it with suspicion. With the exception of Last-Un, she didn't really trust anyone.

Third grade began and Rayellen thought it would be the same deal. Yet, the moment her new teacher walked into the room, she began to rethink her beliefs. Unlike Miss Louisa, her new teacher was a younger woman with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was quite pretty and, like Last-Un, she had a dazzling smile. She swept into the room in a periwinkle blue dress suit and everyone one of the students stopped what they were doing to look. Everyone seemed a little enchanted with this new teacher, but none more than Rayellen. To her, this was the prettiest woman she had ever seen.

"Hello class," the teacher greeted them, "I am Ms. Bowen. I'm sure we're going to have a wonderful school year together but first, let's take roll."

The pretty teacher was quick and efficient. When she read Rayellen's name, Rayellen braced herself for a comment from the class, Ms. Bowen stated that from looking at her grades, she expected that Rayellen would be a good student. Rayellen was surprised, but she couldn't help but smile. Last-Un was the only person that had complimented her before.

Ms. Bowen also had a comment for her friend. When she had called for, "Sue Pack," Last-Un quickly spoke up and said that she preferred her nickname. Ms. Bowen had politely responded, "Sue is such a lovely name, though." Last-Un had blushed slightly and had consented to use her real name.

It was a time of change, and Rayellen welcomed this change. Despite her suspicion, she found herself trusting Ms. Bowen. From day one, she had accepted Rayellen and was always ready with a compliment. She often would allow the girl to borrow books, and Rayellen loved to read. Her grades, which had always been good, soared to the top of the class and Ms. Bowen had begun to let her work on 4th, 5th, and even occasionally 6th grade material. Rayellen felt the hardness she had let form around her heart soften slightly.

One day, she was especially happy. She had gotten a 100 on a spelling test and ran home to show Mamaw. To her surprise, her mother was home. So far, the search for a new husband had not been successful and she could tell her mother was getting restless and was embarrassed to be still be living at home. Normally, she would have avoided her mother because she had seemed so angry lately, and Rayellen no longer trusted her since she had overheard the late-night conversation. Yet, today she was so ecstatic that she forgot her usual hesitation.

"Mom!" she cried, "Look what I got!" She tried to show her mother the paper.

Elizabeth shoved the paper away. "Not now," she said.

"But, Mom," Rayellen insisted.

Elizabeth spun around and the moment that Rayellen saw the anger in her mother's eyes she knew that she had made a mistake. Her mother grabbed her upper arms and held on tightly. "Ya're tryin' to talk fancy, ain't ya? Like that fancy teacher ya got!"

Rayellen hesitated. She had been practicing trying to talk like Ms. Bowen, but only because she liked the way her teacher spoke. She never thought it would be a problem. "I'm sorry, Mom," she cried.

"Ma! I'm yer Ma!" Her voice dropped slightly. "'Though sometimes I wish I weren't. It would be a lot easier."

Tears came to Rayellen's eyes at her mother's statement, but it seemed that Elizabeth now had second. "Oh, baby. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Yes you did!" Rayellen yelled, jerking free of her mother's grasp. "I won't call you Mom anymore. I'm not calling you Ma either! You're nothing to me!"

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth repeated, "I think I'm just jealous of that teacher. She seems so special to ya. And I've been goin' through a lot lately."

Rayellen didn't stay to listen to Elizabeth's confession. She turned and ran from the house and down into the nearby field. She had let down her defenses down and once again she had been hurt. Never again would she be so foolish. In that moment, she decided that she didn't need her mother. She had Last-Un, or rather Sue, to rely on not to mention her wonderful new teacher. Who needed anything else?

* * *

"I'm movin'"

Rayellen looked at her friend in disbelief. "What?" she asked.

Sue sighed deeply. "I'm movin," she repeated, "I just found out the other day. We'll be leavin' before school starts back."

"But why?" Rayellen inquired, trying not to cry. She hadn't gotten to spend much time with her friend this summer and had just been eagerly awaiting the start of the school year so that she could see more of Sue and Ms. Bowen. "Why?" she asked again.

"My oldest brother, Joseph Allen, he got a job in Virginia. He wants all us to move out there. He said it would be a better life." The tone of her voice indicated to Rayellen that she wasn't so sure of Joe Allen's ideology of a better life.

"Do you have to go?" Rayellen asked.

Sue nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "Yeah. I don't want to, but I don't have a choice."

Rayellen gave into the tears she had been trying to fight. "I wish you didn't have to. I'll miss you so much!"

"I'll miss ya too. Will ya come by to visit before we leave?"

"Sure," Rayellen replied. She meant to be telling the truth, but as the day for Sue's departure grew closer, she found herself more and more reluctant to go. She realized that this might be the last time that she ever saw her friend and she hated to even think of that. Also, she found herself a little angry at Sue. After all, Sue was supposed to be there for her. She was her friend yet, she was leaving. While she knew that it wasn't Sue's fault, she still was hurt. Too many times in her life people that she had loved and trusted had hurt her and now Sue was doing the same thing. It didn't matter if it was on purpose or not.

Yet, on the final day she did go to Sue's house to say goodbye. The two friends cried and hugged one another until it was time for Sue to leave. Rayellen felt horrible about avoiding her friend but there was nothing she could do about that now. As Sue's family drove away, she waved until the car was no longer in sight.

At least school was starting soon. Her best friend was gone, but she did have Ms. Bowen to look forward to seeing again. She just had to focus on that.

_Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I really appreciate it. I'm not sure exactly how long this story will. I had a rough idea that would make it around 20 chapters, but things change as I write, so there may be more or less. I will definitely have some chapters that deal with her as a teenager. In the next chapter or two I will deal Mystique's first shapeshifting experience. And, Magneto will be in the story, but not for quite some time._


	7. No Safe Haven

Rayellen was excited when the first day of fourth grade finally arrived, however she was a little more nervous than usual, now that she would be attending school with the presence of her best friend. Throughout it all, Sue had been someone that she could turn to and people honestly didn't seem to tease Rayellen as much when Sue was present. Still, school was a haven of sorts for her since the relationship with her mother was basically nonexistent. Even with Sue in Virginia, Rayellen had Ms. Bowen to turn to if things got rough. She still had one person she could trust.

She walked into the classroom that first day and slowly made her way to a seat in the front of the fourth grade side. It felt strange knowing that Sue wouldn't be sitting in a seat nearby, but she was determined not to dwell on that. She had to focus on the positive, which was that in a few minutes she would see Ms. Bowen again. However, she couldn't help but wonder what was keeping her favorite teacher. Usually Ms. Bowen was in class before her students arrive. Rayellen hoped that Ms. Bowen was okay.

In a few minutes, the door opened and Rayellen turned to look at her pretty teacher. However, it was not Ms. Bowen who was walking into the classroom. This was a large woman: standing nearly 6' in her flat, dress shoes with broad shoulders and a square figure. She had dark, brown hair streaked generously with gray and her cold hazel eyes surveyed the room, missing nothing. Everything about this woman was severe and it seemed as if every student was somewhat afraid of her. "Quiet down," she commanded, although most of the students were not talking but rather staring at the newcomer.

The woman made her way to the desk as Rayellen finally found her voice. "Who's that?" she whispered to the girl next to her. "Where's Ms. Bowen?"

The other girl seemed so startled by the woman that she didn't appear she recognized that it was 'Blueberry' who had asked her. "Ms. Bowen got married," she whispered back, "Don't ya remember that big ring she had?"

Rayellen did seem to remember that one day Ms. Bowen had shown them all a beautiful ring she had said was an engagement ring. "But I don't understand," Rayellen whispered back, "Just because she got married didn't mean she had to quit teaching."

"I said to quiet down!" the teacher shouted. She marched quickly over to Rayellen's desk, grabbed her by the arm, and roughly jerked her from her seat. "Can't ya follow simple directions?"

"I'm sorry," Rayellen quickly apologized, pausing slightly because she didn't know her new teacher's name.

"Mrs. Williams," the teacher prompted.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Williams."

Mrs. Williams sighed dramatically as she walked away, practically dragging Rayellen along behind her until they walked out of the room. Mrs. Williams slammed the door closed so that they were now alone in the hallway and no one in the class could see them. Rayellen began to tremble slightly. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew that it wasn't good.

"I've heard about ya," Mrs. Williams hissed, "about the blue child. I don't know why they let you in a classroom for regular children."

Rayellen didn't know how to respond. She stared up at Mrs. Williams innocently, wondering what was that she had done that was so horrible. What did her teacher mean about letting her in a classroom with the 'regular children?'

"I won't have ya bewitchin' the others" Mrs. Williams added, "I've heard about some of the trouble ya've caused, but I won't have none of that here. Ya understand me?"

Rayellen didn't, but she the feeling that admitting that would only make her teacher angrier. Helplessly, Rayellen nodded slightly. "Yes, Mrs. Williams," she responded, humbly.

The older woman seemed somewhat relieved. "Good," she responded, "Remember that ya said that. Now, I'm goin' back to the classroom. I think that perhaps ya should stay in the hallway for awhile so ya can think about what I told ya. That way, ya'll be able to really remember."

With that said, she turned and walked back into the classroom, leaving Rayellen completely alone in the hallway. Defeated, the girl slunk down to the floor, her back against the wall, as she began to cry. She didn't know what had just happened, but she knew that it wasn't fair. She had always tried to be a good student - and a good girl. Maybe she did whisper to the girl next to her, but that was just because she was so shocked to see Mrs. Williams instead of Ms. Bowen. Was all this happening because there was something wrong with her?

Ms. Bowen had always told her that she was just like anyone else, but she had learned that Ms. Bowen could not be trusted. Just like everyone else in her life, Ms. Bowen had left her when she had needed her most. No doubt, Ms. Bowen had lied about everything. Rayellen chastised herself for having believed in her pretty teacher. She had known not to trust people because that only made you vulnerable to be hurt, but she had trusted Ms. Bowen anyway. All this pain that she felt, she had caused herself and maybe Mrs. Williams was just her punishment for letting her guard down with Ms. Bowen and Sue. She had learned her lesson well.

As the day progressed, no one seemed to notice the blue girl quietly crying in the hallway. Her class went to recess, but she was not allowed to join. She was allowed to go to lunch with them, but now no one would sit near her. In fact, the name-calling began in earnest as several spitballs were thrown at her as she attempted to eat. After lunch, they went back to the room and Rayellen waited patiently by the door, hoping Mrs. Williams would allow her to come back inside once more. Yet, Mrs. Williams said that she should stay out a little while longer.

Sitting down once more, she tried to keep from crying again as she listened to the class through the closed door. As she listened, she hoped that tomorrow would be a better day.

It had to be better, didn't it?

* * *

There was excitement when she returned home, but she wasn't sure why. Her mother was home, and she looked flushed and happy while Mamaw seemed about ready to dance. She quietly made a snack for herself in the kitchen as she listened to their conversation, hoping that she could figure out what had happened. 

"Arnold is so nice," Elizabeth was saying, "and he's so smart too. Much smarter than Robert ever was."

"That's great, dear," Mamaw responded.

"And he don't care I was married before," Elizabeth went on, barely listening to her mother, "'Cause he was married before too, only his wife died a few years ago. He even has a daughter: a pretty, little girl named Lynn. Oh, Ma! I'm so happy!"

"Do ya think he'll ask ya to marry him?" Mamaw asked.

"Why he practically asked me already," Elizabeth responded. "I didn't think I would ever get married again!"

"Well, then ya should invite him over so yer Pa and I can get to meet this new son-in-law of ours," Mamaw stated.

Elizabeth faltered slightly and Rayellen saw her mother's eyes briefly look towards her. "I'm not sure," she finally said.

Mamaw also looked towards Rayellen. "Will ya go out and see if I gathered the eggs today?" she asked her granddaughter.

"O.K." Rayellen agreed, walking out of the back door to the kitchen, but she didn't go to the chicken house. She had seen the eggs in the refrigerator, so she knew that her grandmother was just trying to get her out of the house. Standing beside the door, she strained to hear the rest of her mother's conversation with her grandmother.

"Ya've told him, haven't ya?" Mamaw asked.

"I've told him," Elizabeth responded, "but it still might be different when he sees her. Ya oughta to see his Lynn. She is so pretty with this fair skin and long, black hair."

"But we're talking about yer daughter - YER DAUGHTER. Ya can't hide her until the wedding. Besides, there ain't nothing to be ashamed of. Rayellen is pretty and plus that child is smart. Have you looked at the papers she brings home?"

"I know Rayellen is smart, but ya know how it is."

"No. I don't know. I've never acted like I was ashamed of my own kin and I ain't about to. That youngin's life is gonna be hard enough without her own Ma acting like there's something wrong with her."

"There is something wrong with me," Rayellen said to herself as she walked out to the chicken house to check the nests she knew would be empty. She was a little surprised at the way Mamaw defended her, but she wouldn't allow herself to put much faith in her grandmother.

She had already learned, and learned well - people lie.

So there's Chapter 7. Chapter 8 should be along soon (in fact I'm going to start typing on it right now). Things are expanding more than I expected so the first shape-shifting experience will probably be in Ch 9. I appreciate all the reviews I've received so far! Thank you so much!


	8. Expulsions and Engagments

School did not improve much as the days progressed. Almost every day, Mrs. Williams would some fault or misbehavior (some real, some imagined) that would require Rayellen to be sent to the hallway. One time, it was for chewing on her pencil, which Mrs. Williams said was a disgusting habit. Another time, her teacher claimed that she could tell by the look on her face that she was thinking 'bad thoughts.' Rayellen wasn't sure exactly what she meant because she had been daydreaming what would be like to live in early America, which was their current history lesson. She didn't think that was a bad thing to think about, but she didn't try to explain as she took her usual place in the hall. She knew that any explanation would only make matters worse - if that was possible at this point. Unfortunately, she found out that it was possible.

Rayellen's grades began to drop. The top student of the third grade began to get more B's and C's under Mrs. Williams' tutelage. She just wasn't in the classroom enough to hear many of the lectures or read her textbooks. Like Miss Louisa, Mrs. Williams believed that taking any of the books off of school grounds was synonymous with stealing. Her class work was rarely finished as well, although she rushed to complete it. Unfortunately, she was so rushed that the work she did complete was filled with errors. She honestly tried to do her best and to finish all her work but there wasn't enough time.

One day, she hadn't been sent out of the classroom when it became time for recess and, for once, she was allowed to join the rest of the class outdoors. However, she knew that the other students now avoided her entirely except to make fun of her, so she wasn't particularly excited. It wasn't as if she was going to have any fun. Suddenly, the idea came to her: she might as well study. She didn't see any problem in taking her books with her since she would still technically be on school grounds and she would be careful not to get her books dirty. Without stopping to really consider any consequences, she grabbed some of her books and walked outside. Choosing a shady spot next to the school building, she opened her math book and worked diligently to catch up with her class.

She was intent on solving on particular math problem, when suddenly she heard Mrs. Williams yell. She didn't yell out any particular word or phrase, instead it was like a sound an angry animal might make. Confused, Rayellen looked up and saw her teacher standing over her. Mrs. Williams face was red and her hazel eyes were wide open and blazing. Rayellen became frightened and tried to back away, but Mrs. Williams was too quick. With another animal-like cry, she swooped down and grabbed Rayellen roughly by the arm and jerked her to her feet.

"Children!" Mrs. Williams screamed, "Come inside at once! Recess is over!"

Some of the children started to grumble, but the moment they noticed the expression on Mrs. Williams homely face, they were silent. They walked back to class as Mrs. Williams brought up the rear, dragging Rayellen along with her. The other students quietly took their seats as they waited for their teacher to speak.

"As ya know," she began, "everyone is expected to follow the rules, but some of ya just don't to listen ." She thrust Rayellen forward as if putting her on display for the class. "Recess has been canceled for the rest of the week because she was caught breaking on of the most important rules: no stealin'."

A general moan trickled hesitantly through the class, but Mrs. Williams didn't seem upset. In fact, the teacher seem to encouraged by it. "Now," she continued, "Just in case any of ya think about stealin,' let me show ya what happens to thieves." With her free hand, she reached behind her onto the desk and picked up a heavy wooden paddle that had holes drilled through the thick wood. According to the rumors, the holes made it hurt worse when you where hit, but Rayellen didn't know for sure. The few times she had been spanked, her Mamaw had used a switch on the back of her legs. That stung but Rayellen suspected that the paddle would do more than just sting a little. She struggled slightly, but this only angered Mrs. Williams more.

"Stop fidgetin,'" she ordered as she spun Rayellen around, "Now, pull up yer dress."

Rayellen was shocked. Mrs. Williams surely didn't want her to pull her dress up in front of everyone. "What?" she managed.

Mrs. Williams didn't explain. She shoved Rayellen up next to the desk where she couldn't move away and jerked the back of the dress up to reveal her white, cotton panties. The shame she felt revealing her underwear to the class almost eclipsed the actual pain of the paddle striking her butt, but not entirely. That pain was sharp and quickly evolved into a deep, throbbing pain that seem to spread throughout the entire area. Mrs. Williams struck her four times, stating that she received on whack for each of the books she had 'stolen.' She tried not to cry out as the physical pain of the paddling intermingled with the embarrassment of the entire class seeing her blue backside concealed only by her underwear.

When Mrs. Williams had finished, she stepped away and allow Rayellen's dress to fall back into place. "Now," Mrs. Williams said, laying the paddle on the desk, "Go back out into the hallway and wait until I tell ya to come back in."

Rayellen stood there for a moment, still leaning against the desk. The pain inside of her changing into something else. For so many years, she had taken the verbal and now physical abuse from others and she had taken it quietly. But now, she could feel all that hurt twisting up inside of her like a snake; coiled and ready to strike. Slowly, she turned to face her teacher. "No," she growled.

"I said to go out into the hallway," Mrs. Williams demanded, but it seemed to Rayellen that her stern voice had lost some of its edge. Perhaps it was just because Rayellen refused to be afraid of her now.

"No," Rayellen repeated, "I didn't do anything wrong. I did **NOT** steal those books, and you know it. **AND YOU KNOW IT**!"

The sound of Mrs. Williams' large hand striking Rayellen's face was loud and deadly, but Rayellen didn't even seem to feel it. She stood her ground, her eyes blazing as the left side of her face began to swell slightly and turn purple. Screaming with all the anger and hurt that had build up inside her, Rayellen grabbed the paddle from the desk and threw it at Mrs. Williams. Her aim was off and Mrs. Williams tried to dodge, but it still caught the older teacher on the right shoulder. The blow knocked her off balance and she fell to the floor heavily. Rayellen started towards the fallen Mrs. Williams.

"What's going on here?" a deep voice demanded.

Rayellen turned and saw the principal, Mr. Lyons standing in the doorway. The anger quickly seeped out of her as she looked at him and she became a little ashamed and scared. He had always treated her fairly nice, but now he would see her as the others saw her - as some sort of monster. She didn't want that.

Mrs. Williams quickly jumped to her feet. "The little animal threw my paddle at me after I attempted to discipline her for stealing. I want her expelled!"

Mr. Lyons frowned deeply and walked over to Rayellen. She dropped her face, but he gently placed his hand underneath her chin to lift it until he could look at her. "What's this darker area on her cheek? It looks like a bruise," he said.

"Who could tell?" Mrs. Williams snorted. Mr. Lyons looked at her, almost angrily, so she quickly added, "Look, I was just goin' to paddle the girl when she went crazy. She grabbed the paddle and threw it at me. While ye're lookin' for imaginary bruises, I have a real one comin' out on my shoulder."

Mr. Lyons looked back down at Rayellen. "Is that true?" he asked, "Tell me, what really happened."

Rayellen realized this might be a chance to set everything right. She could tell him about all the injustices of Mrs. Williams' treatment and her reasons for taking the books outside. Was this her chance? Yet, as she stood there prepared to tell him everything she realized that she was being foolish. If she said what really happened, it would be her word against Mrs. Williams and who would believe her. Even her classmates, who had seen exactly what had happened would no doubt side with their stern teacher over 'Blueberry.' "It's true," she finally said when she decide their was no use to argue.

Even Mrs. Williams seemed surprised by her 'confession,' as Mr. Lyons sighed deeply. He moved her hand from her chin to place it on her shoulder and gently led her out of the room. Silently, they walked down the hallway and Rayellen could hear some of the teachers and students from behind the closed doors. In a way, she longed to be back in one of those rooms, but it seemed that for some reason she didn't belong there. Finally, they reached the office where Mr. Lyons opened the door and gently guided her inside.

"Now, Rayellen," he said, as he seated himself in his chair, "are you sure you don't have anything else to tell me?"

Slowly, Rayellen nodded, which seem to distress the principal even more. "Then I have no choice but to expel you," he explained, "You know that, don't you? I guess I should call your mother."

"We don't have a phone," Rayellen announced, numbly.

"Yes. I suppose I knew that," he said. He grabbed a piece of paper and quickly wrote a letter, which he placed into the envelope. Instead of immediately handing the envelope to her, he paused as he stared at the white surface. "Are you sure you don't have anything else to tell me?" he prodded, "Didn't anything else happen back in the classroom that I need to know about?"

"No, sir," Rayellen replied.

Mr. Lyons regarded her for a moment before handing the envelope to her. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "But I have to do this. I don't want to, but…" His voice trailed off as he regarded her sadly.

Rayellen took the envelope and slowly walked to the office door. She turned just before walking into the hallway. "Goodbye," she said, softly.

Mr. Lyons didn't answer. He just sat there, watching her quietly. To her surprise, he looked as if he was about to cry, but she did inquire as to why. She had no idea what he might say, but already she knew that she couldn't believe it.

Without another word, she left the school and began her long journey home. In all reality, she was a little afraid to go home. This was one of the first time she had done something this bad and thoughts of what her punishment might be worried her. Perhaps, her mother would leave. While she had tried to convince herself that she no longer cared, the idea that her mother would actually abandon her was frightening. She could live with Mamaw and Papaw, but somehow that wasn't quite the same.

As she walked home, she passed a large grassy field. A gentle breeze stirred, causing the tall grass to sway like gentle hands reaching towards her. Whenever she looked at this field, she had an unexplainable feeling inside that she just wanted to run in in that grass and far away from here. It wasn't that she was always unhappy, but there was just something that seemed to be calling to her. She often imagined running through that field and deep into the woods that surrounded it. There, she could live with the squirrels and the rabbits and hidden from the rest of the world. After all, she had a natural talent with animals - her Mamaw said so. If she lived in the woods, she could make friends with the small animals and live happily, like in a fairy tale. She never told anyone about this fantasy she had created. It sounded so silly. Life wasn't a fairy tale.

Shaking her head, she turned away from the field and continued home. As much as she dreaded it, she knew that it would be better to just get it over with so that she could find out what her punishment was. Still, the closer she actually got, the slower she walked until she was barely moving by the time she actually arrived.

There was so much commotion at home, no one even seemed to notice that she was home early at first. "Isn't it wonderful!" her mother exclaimed she saw her, grabbing Rayellen up in her arms and swinging her about the room.

Rayellen laughed despite herself. "What's wonderful, Momma?" she asked.

"I'm gettin' married tomorrow," Elizabeth responded, "I'm so happy!"

For the first time since she had gotten home, Rayellen noticed Arnold Kern sitting on the couch nearby. He was a tall man with red-blonde hair that was beginning to thin slightly and pale blue eyes. Rayellen had only met him a few times before, but he had always been nice to her and this time didn't seem to be an exception. "Hello, Rayellen," he greeted, "Aren't you home a little early today?"

"Ya are early, aren't ya? Elizabeth realized, as she set Rayellen back on her feet. "Is something wrong?"

Rayellen had almost forgotten what had happened she was so caught up in her mother's happiness, but now she remembered. There was no time to hide the envelope that was clutched tightly in her right hand, so she helplessly handed the note to her mother.

Elizabeth opened the envelope and stared at the letter for a moment, struggling to read it. "What does it say?" she finally asked, "I don't think I'm readin' this right."

Rayellen knew that her mother could barely read the letter, so she tried to figure out the best to tell her what had happened. However before she could do so, Arnold took the letter and quickly read the contents. Yet, he didn't immediately speak when he had finished reading. Instead, he just looked at Rayellen for a moment as if he was having trouble finding the right words.

"Well?" Elizabeth prodded.

He cleared his throat. "It says that Rayellen has been expelled," he said.

"What?" Elizabeth cried, "That can't be true!"

"That's what it says, though," he confirmed.

Elizabeth whirled on her daughter, but Rayellen was quick to try and defuse the situation. "It wasn't my fault!" Rayellen insisted, "Mrs. Williams said I stole some books, but I didn't. I was just reading them during recess."

"Ya always have to blame someone else, don't ya?" Elizabeth countered, "It's never YER fault. Why are ya tryin' to embarrass me? Aren't I allowed to happy fer once?"

"But, I didn't do anything wrong!" Rayellen cried.

"She might be telling the truth," Arnold spoke up, "You know how some teachers are: they're always right and everyone else is wrong."

Elizabeth didn't respond at first. She glared at her daughter for a few minutes before turning. "Come on, Arnold," she said, "We need to be goin'."

Rayellen became frightened when she realized her mother was leaving. "But where are you going?" she asked, but her mother didn't answer.

"Mom!" she cried, running after her, "Don't leave me!"

Mamaw hurried forward and took Rayellen in her arms. "Yer Ma just goin' to get married," she said, "but she'll be back. She just need to get married and spend some time with her new man. Then she'll come back fer ya with a new Pa and a new sister Don't that sound nice?"

Rayellen continued to cry. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Sure am. Yer Ma will be back. I promise!"

For some reason, that didn't really comfort Rayellen. Yet, there was something else that was bothering her. She had read the letter before she had came home and knew it said something about her hitting Mrs. Williams. Arnold had read the letter, but never mentioned that to her mother. Instead, he had focused on the fact she was expelled. She couldn't help but wonder why he had done that. It just didn't make sense. If she ever saw him and her mother again, she would have to ask him.

_Well, there's Chapter 8. Chapter 9 will be done soon (I actually have a lot of written) and chapter 9 contains first Rayellen's first shapeshifting experience. I hope that everyone has enjoyed this story so far. _


	9. New Family and Dreams of Change

Lynn Kern was the vainest creature that had ever been born. Arnold's daughter and Rayellen's new 'sister' seemed to think that she could not survive without looking into the mirror every few minutes, that was if she wasn't teasing, harassing, or generally annoying Rayellen. The truth was, while Rayellen was somewhat envious of Lynn's appearance, she didn't see exactly what she had to be so vain about. Lynn did have a beautiful complexion. It was beautifully flawless and as smooth as porcelain. That complexion along with her raven black hair, which fell down her back in ringlets, was quite lovely. However, the rest of Lynn's features left a little something to be desired. Her eyes were small and set slightly too far apart, while her lips were so thin that when she pressed them tightly together, they seemed to completely disappear. Plus, she was slightly overweight with a solid, blocky build. All those things along with her acidic temper and bitter tongue only marred Rayellen's opinion of her. Of course, Elizabeth and Arnold seemed to believe that Lynn was undeniably beautiful which only caused Lynn to be vainer and Rayellen to become more jealous.

Lynn had been her sister for almost four years, but Rayellen had no more understanding of her than when they had first met. This morning was the same as always, Lynn had been twisting and turning in front of the mirror they shared for what seemed to be the last hour. Rayellen was standing nearby, just wanting to make sure that she hadn't missed any buttons on her shirt and that it was tucked in properly. Finally, she got tired with waiting and stepped beside of Lynn to look at her appearance. Lynn seemed amused as Rayellen straightened her blouse.

"It's not like it's going to do you any good," Lynn hissed, a serpent-like smile adorning her round face, "You look like a freak no matter what you do."

Rayellen glanced at Lynn, but didn't allow her to see that the comment had upset her. Instead Rayellen threw back her shoulders to thrust her chest out slightly as she pretended to look into the mirror, but actually she was watching Lynn's reaction. Although Lynn was four months older, Rayellen's body was maturing at a much quicker rate. Lynn still had the solid body of a child, her chest as flat as it had ever been, and Rayellen knew that it practically killed Lynn when she showed off the fact she actually had breasts. Sometimes, Rayellen couldn't resist putting one of her bras in Lynn's drawer which she would later 'find' in front of Lynn. "What's this doing here?" she would ask dramatically, knowing that Lynn only wore training bras, which she didn't actually need.

The truth was, the development of her body was both a secret pride and a shame. She was happy to have something over Lynn, to make her jealous for once. Plus, it was a sign that she was maturing - growing up so that soon she would be able to leave home and escape her bratty 'sister' and mother who seemed to be daily growing more ashamed of her. Yet, at the same time, there was some embarrassment in developing early. Some of the guys no longer seemed to focus on her blue face, but rather wanted to have conversations with her chest. The girls, who were jealous of the attention she was getting from the guys, insisted that the only reason that she had breasts was because she had "fooled around." They would called her 'Ole Blue like some sort of dog, and would make howling and whining noises when she walked down the hall. Lynn usually was the one leading the harassment and would claim that she had seen Rayellen with guys. That, of course, wasn't true. Rayellen had no experience in those matters, but she had seen Lynn sneak behind one of the stairwells at school more than once. Still, the rumors and teasing persisted.

Rayellen's clothes were tidy enough. She was dressed a little more nicely than usual because today was her thirteenth birthday. After school, her mother and Arnold were going to take her out for dinner. Arnold had offered to throw her a party, such as Lynn's four months earlier but Rayellen had quickly declined. She had said it was because she didn't care for parties, but the truth was that she didn't have that many friends. She wasn't going to admit that, but Lynn was ready to volunteer that information.

After taking a quick look at her appearance, Rayellen hurried downstairs where her mother was preparing breakfast. "Hurry up and eat," Elizabeth commanded, "Ya don't be late for school. Yer in enough trouble already."

Rayellen shook her head as she sat down. Since being expelled from Grassy Elementary, she had moved with her mother and new family members to Ohio, which was where Arnold lived. He had worked hard to get Rayellen enrolled in the local school, but it seemed that Elizabeth was not prepared to allow Rayellen to forget her past transgressions. Of course, since Rayellen no longer tried or cared to try in class, that only made the situation worse.

Lynn came into the room and Elizabeth seemed to brighten up at the sight of her step-daughter. "Good morning," Elizabeth greeted, "Breakfast?"

"No thanks," Lynn responded, politely.

"She's on a diet," Rayellen informed her mother.

"Rayellen!" Elizabeth scolded.

"Ellen," Rayellen corrected, "I hate 'Rayellen'. It's a weird name."

Elizabeth glared at her daughter, but didn't respond directly. "Ya better be headin' off ta school," she stated, as she turned to start washing the dishes.

* * *

Rayellen despised school. She thought it was just a place for kids to gather to attack and harass one another while trying desperately to be accepted to some clique. For Rayellen, who had no group to offer her protection, she was a constant target for others. At least they kept their distance when they teased her. The fact that one of her former harassers had sported a split lip for awhile when they made the mistake of standing too close to Rayellen while taunting her had helped her in that matter. That little confrontation had caused Rayellen to be suspended for a few days, but it now seemed that the other girls were a little afraid of her. In all reality, she didn't really like to be feared but she did like the pseudo-respect that it offered.

After stopping at her locker, she went to her English class. It was one of her few classes she actually enjoyed. Normally, she enjoyed confusing her teachers by nearly failing to the point they thought that she needed transferred to a 'special class', as it was called by the other students. Then, she would study just enough to ace her tests and complete any and all assignments to near perfection. Just when the teacher in question thought that she might have reformed, she would slip back to the point of near failure. She could barely restrain her laughter when the teacher would be totally perplexed by her behavior. Sometimes they would practically beg her to do better and other times they even threatened. Yet, Rayellen stubbornly refused to only succeed when she chose to do so. However, her English teacher, Mrs. Thornberry, didn't seem confused by her actions. Mrs. Thornberry was a down-to-earth person and, while it was obvious that she did care about her students' performances, her methods for dealing with such issues were very low-key. In fact, it was hard to tell that was doing anything to curb problems, yet somehow this plain-spoken teacher had fewer problems than any other in the entire school. She seemed to take a personal interest in Rayellen, very similar to the actions of Ms. Bowen years earlier. Rayellen wouldn't allow herself to become too trusting of Mrs. Thornberry, but she did like her well enough.

Of course, Mrs. Thornberry wasn't the only reason she liked English class. It was the only class that she shared with Jason McAndrews. He wasn't the most popular boy in school, but he was decently well-known and well-liked. He was also a handsome boy with dark blonde hair and light blue, which had caused many of the girls to develop a bit of crush. Rayellen had definitely noticed his good looks, but was adamant that she didn't have a crush on him. She tried to convince herself that she didn't hate him only because he was one of the few nice students in her classes. However, she kept finding herself looking at him during class. Usually, she was able to hide this behavior.

Thankfully, she didn't have any classes with Lynn, but she did have a few with Robin, who was Lynn's best friend. Robin sat behind Rayellen in the classes they shared so that she could make sure to not miss an opportunity to make her life miserable. Today, she noticed Rayellen's wandering gaze.

"Good looking, ain't he?" Robin whispered venomously.

Rayellen felt her face flame, but she knew that it probably wasn't obvious. For once, she was actually thankful for her blue complexion as she quickly turned away. Robin wasn't satisfied, however.

"Lookie here!" she yelled to the class, "Ole' Blue's in heat!"

Rayellen's mouth dropped as she jumped to her feet and spun around to face Robin. However, Mrs. Williams quickly intervened. "I will not have that kind of talk in my classroom," she said to Robin, "Go to the office, immediately!"

Robin smirked slightly as she turned and walked out of the room. "This isn't over," Rayellen mumbled to herself.

The rest of the day was rather non-eventful. After school, Rayellen went out to dinner with her mother, Arnold, and Lynn. In front of her father, Lynn's behavior towards Rayellen was impeccable and they had a fairly good time. When they returned home, she was given her presents. Elizabeth gave her two shirts, but one was not her size and it was a bright yellow color that she would never wear. It seemed obvious to her that it was meant for Lynn, but Rayellen pretended not to notice. She could see Lynn practically drooling for the shirt, so she was determined she would wear it once and 'accidentally' get a horrible stain in a noticeable location.

Arnold's gifts were better. He gave her a beautiful locket with "Ellen" inscribed and a small, red diary that could be locked. Lynn could have taken lessons from her father on gift giving. She gave Rayellen a small bracelet that Lynn had been wanting. Like the yellow shirt, it was obvious the gift was actually intended for Lynn herself. Knowing that, Rayellen made sure to say that the bracelet would look nice with her new necklace and Arnold agreed.

Shortly thereafter, everyone prepared for bed. Even Lynn seemed to tired for her usual nightly teasing, and for this Rayellen was thankful. Curling up underneath the blankets, Rayellen quickly fell asleep, her necklace and diary lying beside her on the nightstand. Quietly, she drifting deeper into sleep and began to dream.

In her dream, she was walking down the hall of her school, but the school was different somehow. The halls were longer and there were different corridors, but she still knew where she was going. There were lots of students in the hall and everyone was staring at her. She was used to people staring, but most of her classmates were used to her appearance. Plus, she felt weird. Her skin was burning and it felt as if there were insects crawling just beneath the surface. She was rubbing her arms, trying to get the itching and burning to stop as she turned the corner and found herself staring into a full-length mirror.

Looking into the mirror, Rayellen didn't know whether to scream or to cry from happiness. Her skin was no longer blue. She had Lynn's flawless complexion and light blue eyes, but the rest of the features were hers. She marveled her hands, her arms, and her face. This was what she had wanted her entire life.

She awoke suddenly and was very disappointed to find that she had been dreaming. A little disappointed, she got up and slowly made her way into the bathroom. What a shame, she thought as she turned on the light and the room was flooded with a blinding, white light. Squinting, she shuffled towards the commode. Once finished, she reached for the light switch but stopped when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. It wasn't just a dream! The itching and burning was real as well as this beautiful skin color. Tears came to her eyes as she looked at her reflection.

Running, she hurried to her mother's bedroom and threw open the door. She didn't really think of the consequences at the time, she just wanted for someone else to see this miracle, but thankfully her mother and step-father were just sleeping. "Mom!" she cried, "Mom wake up!"

Elizabeth mumbled slightly but didn't wake. The burning and itching intensified as Rayellen began to shake her mother. "Wake up!"

"What is it?" Elizabeth finally asked, opening one eye, "What are you doing, Rayellen?" Arnold was also waking at this time.

"Look!" Rayellen demanded, "Look at me!"

"What are you yelling about?" Elizabeth questioned as Arnold turned on the light.

"You look pale," Arnold said, "Are you okay?"

Rayellen looked down at arms and saw that her normal blue coloring was now returning. "No," she whispered. The change was now becoming more rapid so that within minutes it was impossible to tell that there had ever been a change. "I'm fine," she said, "I guess I was just dreaming."

"Why did you have to wake us?" Elizabeth complained.

"It's okay," Arnold comforted, "Go on back to bed."

Meekly, Rayellen left their room and returned to her own bed. Lynn was still sound asleep and seemed so relaxed. Rayellen envied that. She was very confused and more than a little disappointed. What had she seen? Was it all just a dream? She wasn't sure but both possibilities were somewhat disappointing. If it was just a dream, then there seemed to be no chance that it could ever be a reality. If it had happened, that just opened the door to more questions. How had it happened and would it ever happen again?

Wiping away a small tear, she turned and switched on the lamp by her bed. Picking up a pen, she opened the small dairy that Arnold had given her. She had more than a few things to write about tonight.

So there's Chapter 9. Don't worry about Robin, Rayellen will extract her revenge (insert evil laugh here). In fact, there's a lot of revenge in the next chapter which I hope to have completed soon. Thanks for reading.


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